Rotary engines, pumps, and compressors



G. A. MYLES ROTARY ENGINES, PUMPS, AND COMPRESSORS April 30, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 115, 1961 il. 7 III/fill s E L m 0 WA E VG mm E G April '30, 1963 a. A. MYLES ROTARY ENGINES, PUMPS, AND COMPRESSORS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 16, 1961 IINVENTOIR.

GEORGE A. MYLES /a. 1. Z a

A TTORNE Y April 30, 1963 a. A. MYLES ROTARY ENGINES, PUMPS, AND COMPRESSORS v 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 16, 1961 IN VEN TOR. GEORGE A. MYLES A TTORNEY United States Patent r 3,087,671 ROTARY ENGELIES, PUMPS, AND COMPRESSORS George A. Myles, Reno, Nev. (876 San Ardo Way, Mountain View, Calif.) Filed June 16, 1961, Ser. No. 117,686 21 Claims. (Cl. 230144) This invention relates to rotary engines, pumps and compressors, and more particularly to internal combustion engines of the type wherein a plurality of pistons are moveable in an annular cylinder, and responsive to explosions between given pistons to generate power that is transmitted to a drive shaft. The invention is also particularly related to rotary pumps and compressors of the type wherein a plurality of pistons are moveable in relation to each other within an annular cylinder to pump a fluid from the cylinder, or to compress a combustible material, such as air, within the cylinder and then force such a material from the cylinder.

Heretofore, internal combustion engines and apparatus for pumping fluids and compressing gases have frequently embodied several major structural disadvantages. For example, such engines and compressors usually embody reciprocating members that induce a substantial amount of vibration in the engine and supporting frame, with resultant high noise levels, when they are operated. Such vibration is very undesirable, because it causes excessive wear as well as reducing the operating efficiency of the units due to the constantly recurring reversal of the drive mechanisms. Also, since it is necessary to provide the drive pistons of such units with counter weights to reduce the vibration to a tolerable level, the cost of these types of units is increased.

I In attempting to meet design parameters that overcome the aforementioned disadvantages of conventional internal combustion engines, pumps and compressors, inventors and engineers have developed various types of rotary internal combustion engines, pumps and compressors. However, prior to the instant invention, such rotary units have been characterized by complicated structural arrangements that are subject to excessive wear and maintenance costs, as well as being diflicult to inspect due to the fact that large numbers of working parts in such units are frequently coupled in intricate interlocking mechanisms. Moreover, many such prior art rotary units contain operative elements, such as drive levers, that are forced to reciprocate one or more times during each operating cycle; therefore, such units are frequently subjected to as much vibration and disadvantageous wear and noise as are conventional engines, pumps, and compressors of a basically reciprocating type of structure.

The present invention provides a very suitable solution to the foregoing problems by providing a rotary engine, pump, or compressor structure that contains only unidirectional drive, pumping, or compressing members respectively, thereby obviating any undesirable vibration such as is normally caused by conventional members being forced to reciprocate during each operative cycle. The structural arrangement of apparatus built in accordance with the present invention also alfords easy access to the operative elements thereof to facilitate inspection and maintenance. Also, the invention provides a structure that is readily self cooled and embodies a simple fuel supercharger integral with the cooling arrangement. The basic structural arrangement of the invention incorporates only one annular cylinder which is readily machined on a lathe rather than requiring separate boring and honing operations for each cylinder, as is the case with conventional structure's.

Accordingly, it is a specific object of the invention to provide an engine, pump, and compressor of the rotary 3,087,671 Patented Apr. 30, 1963 ice type embodying correlated pistons disposed within an annular cylinder and adapted to coact in a manner to impart unidirectional movement to a drive shaft, or derive power smoothly from a drive shaft, thereby to obtain a smooth flow of power from the pistons to a drive shaft, or vice versa, by the elimination of all reciprocable motion in the driving or driven members.

Another object of the invention is to provide an engine, pump, or compressor of the rotary type that is structurally characterized by eliminating many working parts that are normally essential to the functioning of such conventional units, thereby to produce an engine, pump, or compressor of substantially simplified design.

An additional object of the invention is to provide an engine, pump, or compressor structure that may be economically and easily manufactured to generate power within wide limits while affording great accessibility to the working parts thereof for maintenance and inspection purposes.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a rotary engine, pump, or compressor that is readily lubricated and cooled with maximum efiiciency while having a relatively low weight per horsepower generated, and a high effective horsepower for its displacement.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description and drawings that follow.

Briefly stated, in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention, a rotary engine comprising an annular cylinder having two annular wall members that are rotatable in relation to each other is provided with a plurality of pistons disposed at longitudinally spaced points therein. Locking means are provided on each of the pistons whereby the pistons may be alternately locked to either of the annular relatively moveable portions of the cylinder to cause these cylinder portions to rotate when the pistons locked thereto rotate. One of the annular cylinder members is secured to a frame and the other of the annular cylinder members is coupled to a drive shaft that is adapted to rotate with respect to the frame. To effect rotation of the drive shaft with respect to the frame, a combustible material is introduced to the interior of the cylinder between predetermined pistons that are locked respectively to the two relatively rotatable annular cylinder members. The combustible material is then ignited thus causing it to expand and force the pistons, which are tending to confine it, apart. As the pistons are forced apart, they cause the two annular cylinder members to rotate in relation to one another due to the fact that the pistons being forced apart are locked respectively to each of the annular cylinder members. Means are provided to exhaust the waste combustible materials from and introduce new combustible material to the cylinder to again repeat the operative cycle and, thus, cause one of the annular cylinder members and a drive shaft coupled to it, to continue to rotate in a unidirectional manner with respect to the other annular cylinder member.

A pump or compressor constructed in accordance with the present invention will be similar in structure to the rotary engine briefly described above; however, rather than having a combustible material introduced to the cylinder and exhausted therefrom, a fluid or compressible material is introduced into the cylinder and forced therefrom when the spacing between the respective pistons is selectively varied as the apparatus operates. Of course, rather than providing a driving force for a rotatable shaft, as the above described rotary engine does, the pump or compressor arrangements will operate 'by having a prime mover drive one of the annular cylinder members thereby causing it to rotate in relation to the outer annular cylinder member. This relative rotation of the two annular cylinder members causes the pistons Within the cylinder to alternately lock with respective annular cylinder members and, thus, be rotated around the cylinder to selectively vary the spacing between the respective pistons and either pump a fluid from the cylinder or compress a compressible material between the pistons, then expel it from the cylinder.

Having now indicated in a general manner the nature of the present invention, a detailed description of the invention will be given with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view, partly in cross section, of a rotary engine constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view, partly in cross section, of a rotary engine shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic fragmentary top plan View of a longitudinally arcuate section of the rotary engine shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the piston and cylinder arrangement shown in FIG. 3 taken along the plane 4-4 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of inder arrangement shown in FIG. 5-5 shown in FIG. 3.

FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 are schematic top plan views of the rotary engine shown in FIG. 1 with the pistons therein shown at respectively different positions to facilitate description of an operating cycle of an engine constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic fragmentary top plan view of a section of the engine shown in FIG. 1 as it would be modified to afford operation with a fuel injector arrangement rather than a spark plug arrangement, as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 10 is a schematic fragmentary top plan view of a section of the engine shown in FIG. 1 modified to transform it into a pump or compressor.

To describe the structure and mode of operation of the invention, it will first be described as applied to form a rotary internal combustion engine of the type employing spark plugs to initiate ignition of a combustible material. Then, a modification of this structure will be explained to show how the invention may be utilized as a fuel injector type of engine. A further modification of the preferred embodiment of the invention, as it is shown in FIG. 1 will also be described to show how the invention may be utilized to form a novel compressor structure or pump.

Referring particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown a rotary engine of the internal combustion type comprising an annular cylinder 1 which defines an operating chamber consisting of a pair of annular casing or wall members comprising annular wall member 2 and annular wall member 3. The annular wall member 2 of the cylinder 1 is mounted on a frame 4 by any suitable means, such as by welding (not shown). The annular member 3 of cylinder 1, which is adapted to rotate in relation to the annular wall member 2, is supported in juxtaposition to the annular wall member 2 by the spokes 5 on which it is mounted by any suitable means, such as Welding (not shown). Of course, it will be appreciated that the spokes 5 are merely exemplary structures that may be replaced by any suitable hub structure. In order to afford the aforementioned relative rotation between annular members 2 and 3, the spokes 5 are fixed in any conventional manner, to a rotatable shaft 6, which is, in turn, journalled on the frame 4 and adapted to rotate in relation thereto. In this preferred embodiment of the invention the wall members 2 and 3 meet in a plane that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of shaft 6, because this arrangement facilitates the assembly of the pistons in the operating chamber, as described below. However, the wall members 2 and 3 may be designed to abut on an imaginary the piston and cyl- 3 given along plane cylindrical surface the longitudinal axis of which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of shaft 6.

In order to drive the annular wall member 3 so that it rotates in relation to the annular wall member 2, a plurality of pistons, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 are disposed within the cylinder 1, at predetermined longitudinally spaced points and these pistons are adapted to r0- tate around the cylinder 1. As the description of the invention proceeds, it will become apparent that although eight pistons (pistons 7 through 14) are shown, either a lesser or greater number of pistons may be utilized by suitably modifying the cylinder 1 to coact with the number of pistons selected in a given embodiment of the invention. The pistons 7 through 14 are adapted to coact in matched pairs to draw a combustible material into the cylinder 1, compress this combustible material, then respond to the ignition of such material to elfect a relative rotation between the annular wall members 2 and 3 in a manner that will be understood from the following description.

The matched pairs of pistons shown in the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprise the coacting pistons 7 and 8, 9 and 10, 11 and 12, and 13 and 14. Each of the lead pistons 8, 10, 12 and 14 of the respective pairs of pistons is characterized by having an annular raised portion 15 around the circumference of their respective trailing ends, which forms recessed chambers 16 thereon. The chambers 16 may be formed by boring the trailing ends of the pistons, or in any other suitable manner. These recessed chambers 16, coact with the respective follower pistons of each given pair of pistons to form combustion chambers and thus serve to reduce pressure on and protect the walls of cylinder 1 from excessive heat and corrosion from the combustible material. The forward ends of each of the follower pistons 7, 9, 11, and 113 have a longitudinal portion of reduced diameter 17 that is adapted to extend partially into the respective chambers 16 on the leading pistons of each pair of coacting pistons. It is apparent that when a combustible material is compressed between the respective pistons of a given coacting pair of pistons, for example between the pistons 7 and 8, the degree of compression will be determined by the closest spacing between the pistons 7 and 8. Therefore, it is possible to readily vary the degree of compression by simply regulating the extent to which the reduced diameter portions 17 are allowed to extend into the respective chambers 16 by any suitable means, such as by adjusting the location of a detent (not shown) on the reduced diametrical portions 17 adapted to slidingly engage the raised portion 15 of the chambers 16.

To effect the desired relative rotation between the annular wall members 2and 3 in the manner referred to above, it is, of course, necessary to ignite a combustible material between the respective coacting pair of pistons, for example betwen the pistons 7 and 8, to force the pistons apart at predetermined times. Such ignition is effected by a plurality of spark plugs 18 mounted at longitudinally spaced points on the annular wall member 2 and disposed in communication with the interior of cylinder 1. Of course, the spark plugs 18 may be mounted on member 3 if such an arrangement is found desirable. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the angular spacing around the periphery of cylinder 1 at which the spark plugs 18 are disposed, is 60 angular degrees between each spark plug 18. Since the spark plugs 18 must form sparks that are in communication with combustible material compressed between the respective lead and follower pistons of each coacting pair of pistons, it is necessary that the spark plugs be in communication with the interior of the respective chambers '16 when the spark plugs 18 are energized to ignite the combustible material. Therefore, each raised portion 15 on the trailing ends of the lead pistons 8, 10, 12, and 14 is provided with a slot or aperture 19 (FIGS. 1 and 2) that affords the desired communication between the respective chambers 16 and the spark plugs 18.

The respective -lots 19 are maintained in proper relation with the spark plugs 18 as each of the pistons 7 through 14 is rotated around the cylinder 1, because each of the pistons 7 through 14, is longitudinally arcuate and, thus, is prevented from rotating around its longitudinal axis with respect to the cylinder 1. The selective energization of the spark plugs 18 is controlled by supplying electric current to the spark plugs 18 from a suitable source of electricity, such as a battery or generator (not shown), through a spark coil and distributor arrangement (not shown) that may be of any conventional design. The particular sequence in which the spark plugs 18 are energized will be described more fully below when the operation of the engine is more fully discussed.

In order to enable pistons 7 through 14- to impart a driving force to the annular wall member 3 to cause this wall member to rotate in relation to wall member 2, the respective lead and follower pistons of each coacting pair of pistons are alternately locked respectively to the wall members 2 and 3 in a manner that will now be described in detail. This locking function between the respective pistons and the annular wall members 2 and 3 is afforded by a, pair of bell cranks or pivotally mounted dogs 20 and 21 (FIGS. 1 and 2) mounted respectively on each of the follower pistons 7, 8, 11 and 13; and by a pair of bell cranks or pivotally mounted dogs 22 and 23 mounted respectively on each of the lead pistons 8, 10, 12, and 14 (FIGS. 1 and 2). Each of these pivotally mounted dogs 20 through 23- is V-shaped and mounted adjacent its apex on a pin, 24, which is, in turn, fixed in position on each of the pistons 7 through 14 in any suitable manner, such as by being shrunk fit into suitable bores on the respective pistons. The dogs 20 through 23 are further characterized by having rollers 25 mounted on both of their lateral extremities to serve as antifriction means between the respective dogs and the sides of annular wall members 2 and 3, which the dogs are adapted to selectively engage. Each of the V-shaped dogs 20 through 23 is only wide enough at its lateral extremities to engage a detent (to be described in detail below) on one side of the operating chamber defined by cylinder 1 while the opposite end of the dog is in rolling entgagement with the opposite side of the operating chamber defined by cylinder 1. The characterizing features of each of the pivotal dogs 20 through 23 and the significance of these features relative to the operation of the engine will become apparent when the function of the dogs is explained below with reference to FIGURES 3, 4, and however, the general structure and mode of operation of the remaining parts of the engine shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will first be completed.

Each annular wallmember 2 and 3 has a first and second set of longitudinally spaced detents formed therein at predetermined spaced points along both inner lateral side walls thereof. The first set of longitudinally spaced detents on annular wall member 2 (FIG. '1) comprises a plurality of detents 26 each of which is spaced a predetermined distance ahead of a respective spark plug 18 and in diametrically opposite pairs on the lateral sidewalls of annular wall member 2. Moreover, each of the detents 26 is disposed to be engaged by the rollers 25 on one of the ends of pivotal dogs 22 or 23 on each of the lead pistons 8, 10, 12, and 14. The first set of detents on the annular wall member 3 comprises a plurality of longitudinally spaced detents 27 (FIG. 1) each of which is spaced a predetermined distance behind respective spark plugs 18 and adapted to be engaged respectively by one of the rollers 25 on the ends of the pivotal dogs 20 and 21 on the follower pistons 7, 9, 11, and 13. member 2 comprises a plurality of detents 28 disposed at longitudinally spaced points behind each spark plug The second set of detents on annular wall 18, respectively, on diametrically opposite. sides of the wall member 2 and adapted to be engaged by one of the rollers 25 on the ends of pivotal dogs 20 and 21 on the follower pistons 7, 9, 11, and 13. The second set of detents on annular wall member 3 comprises a plurality of longitudinally disposed detents 29 spaced a predetermined distance in front of each spark plug 18 (when the respective members are in the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2), at diametrically opposite points on annular wall member 3 and adapted to be engaged by rollers 25 on one end of the pivotal dogs 22 and 23 on the lead pistons 8, 10, 12, and 14.

It is to be understood that the dogs 22 and 23 on the lead pistons do not engage the detents 27 and 28, which are engaged by the dogs 20 and 21 on the follower pistons, and conversely the dogs 20 and 21 on the follower pistons never engage the detents 26 and 29, which are engaged by the pivotal dogs 22 and 23 on the lead pistons. This respective non-engagement is accomplished by spacing the detents 27 and 28 in planes that are closer to the intersection of the annular members 2 and 3 than the respective planes in which the detents 26 and 29 are disposed longitudinally around the wall members 2 and 3. It is apparent that other spacing arrangements may be employed to achieve the same function. The significance of this particular arrangement of the detents, and interaction of the pivotal dogs 20 through 22 therewith will become apparent when the operation of the rotary engine is described below. It will suffice to understand at this point that the respective pivotal dogs 20 through 23 and detents 26 through 29 coact when the engine is in operation to efiect a selective variation in the spacing between respective pistons of given coacting pairs thereby to compress a combustible material preparatory to its ignition by the spark plugs 18. Those skilled in the art will understand that the locking means thus afforded is merely exemplary and may be replaced by any other suitable means for locking the pistons alternately to the wall members. For example, detents may be formed in the pistons and selective locking devices mounted on the wall members to coact therewith.

In order to introduce a combustible material into the cylinder 1, a plurality of ports or apertures 30 are formed at longitudinally spaced points around the inner circumference of annular member 2 to provide communication between the interior of the operating chamber defined by cylinder 1 and a suitable manifold (not shown) or other conventional means for supplying a combustible material, such as a gasoline and air mixture, to the cylinder 1. Each intake aperture 30 is provided with a poppet valve 31 (FIG. 2) that serves to afiord a unidirectional flow of fuel or combustible material into the cylinder -1 while preventing any exhaust material from being forced through the intake apertures 30 back toward the fuel supply (not shown). In a similar manner, exhaust apertures 32 are disposed at longitudinally spaced points around the outer circumference of annular wall member 2 and afford communication between the interior of cylinder 1 and a suitable exhaust manifold (not shown). The exhaust apertures 32 are also provided with poppet valves 33 that operate to afford a unidirectional flow of exhaust material from the interior of cylinder 1 to the exhaust manifold. t will be understood that various other intake and exhaust means might very well be utilized to accomplish an introduction and withdrawal of fuel and exhaust material respectively to and from the cylinder 1; therefore, it will be appreciated that the specific arrangement depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 is merely exemplary and is not intended to constitute the sole means of accomplishing the desired end result thus achieved.

The spokes 5 act as a centrifugal fan when the engine is operated and, thus, serve to circulate cooling air over the cylinder 1. Also, the spokes serve as superchargers to force fuel through the intake apertures 30, because suitable vents (not shown) are provided in the intake manifold to allow the centrifugally blown air from spokes 5 into the apertures 30. Thus, it can be seen that a novel cooling and supercharging arrangement is afforded by the present invention. It will also be apparent that poppet valves 31 and 33 may be eliminated without causing the engine to fail to operate.

In order to confine a combustible material within cylinder 1, it is necessary to provide a gas-tight seal between the relatively rotatable annular wall members 2 and 3; therefore, the lateral extremities of annular wall member 2 are provided with integral flanges 34 extending therefrom and having a vertical lip 35 at the outermost extremities thereof. These lateral flanges 34 (FIGS. 1 and 4) in addition to having integral lips 35 thereon, are provided with a plurality of annular pitches 38 and grooves 39 on their uppermost surfaces. To complete the gas-tight seal, the annular member 3 is also provided with a pair of annular flanges 40 (FIGS. 1 and 4) integral therewith and having a plurality of pitches 41 and grooves 42 extending annularly around the flanges 40 and adapted to engage the respective grooves 39 and pitches 38 on flanges 34. Locking rings 43 are positioned above the flanges 40 to maintain them in juxtaposition with the flanges 34 and the rings 43 are locked by any suitable means, such as by pins 44 eXtending through lips 35 into the rings 43. Of course, in some applications, one ring 43 will suflice. Also, to reduce friction between the locking rings 43 and the annular flanges 40, a plurality of anti-friction means, such as roller bearings 45 are disposed between the locking rings 43 and flanges 40.

During normal operation of the engine, lubricating oil is forced from suitable storage means (not shown) into the interior of the cylinder 1 and thence through the interstices between the annular members 2 and 3 and into the respective pitches and grooves 38, 39, 41, and 42 and thus coacts with these pitches and grooves to form an effective seal to prevent escape of any gas from cylinder 1.

In order to more fully describe the operation of the engine, reference will now be made to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 to describe the specific manner in which the pivotal dogs 20 through 23 coact with the detents 26 through 29 to cause relative motion between the annular wall members 2 and 3. FIG. 3 is a schematic top plan view of a sec tion of the engine shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and depicts the pistons 7 and 8 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Since each of the pivotal dogs 20 through 23 comprise a pair of integral arms, these arms will be designated respectively by the numerals designating the respective dogs, plus the letters (a) for one arm, and (b) for the other arm of each dog, in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5. Thus, in FIGS. 3 and 4 it will be seen that arm 22a of dog 22 is in engage ment with annular member 2 by being locked in detent 26 thereon while pivotal arm 22b is positioned over detent 29 on annular member 3, but it is not sufliciently long to lock in engagement therewith. At the same instant in the operating cycle as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4, the pivotal arm 23a of dog 23 is disposed over another detent 29 in annular member 3 while the pivotal arm 23b is disposed in locking engagement with another detent 26 in annular member 2. It can be seen that as long as this locking arrangement is maintained between the pivotal arms 22a and 23b and the annular wall member 2, the piston 8 and the annular wall member 2 will not move in relation to one another. It will also be understood that if pivotal dogs 22 and 23 are pivoted about their pins 24 to bring arms 22b and 23a respectively into engagement with the detents 29 on annular member 3 the locking engagement between piston 8 and annular member 2 will be terminated while simultaneously 8 locking engagement is established between piston 8 and annular wall member 3.

Two forces act to cause the pivotal dogs 22 and 23 to pivot into engagement with the detents 26 and 29 alternately. The first of these forces is the action of compressed gas or fuel on the trailing ends of the piston 8 which tends to accelerate the piston and thus cause the detents on annular wall members 2 and 3, and the respective pins 24 mounting the dogs 22 and 23 to exert forces which tend to pivot the dogs into one of the longitudinally disposed detents 26 or 29, in a manner that will become clearer when the operation of the engine is discussed below. The second force tending to pivot the dogs 22 and 23 about respective pins 24 is provided by springs 46 that are connected in a suitable manner, such as by welding, to the pivotal arms 23a and 22b to bias the arms 22a and 23b continually toward engagement with the annularly disposed detents 26 on annular member 2.

Just as each of the lead pistons 8, 10, 12, and 14 are identical in structure and function in a like manner, each of the follower pistons 7, 9, 11, and 13 are identical in structure and function in like manner; therefore, an appreciation of the structure and mode of operation of the follower piston 7, which is attainable from a description thereof given with particular reference to FIGS. 3 and 5, will suflice to teach the mode of operation and structure of all of the follower pistons. The pivotal dogs 20 and 21 on the respective follower pistons, such as piston 7, coact with their respective longitudinally disposed detents 27 and 28 in a manner very similar to that in which the pivotal dogs 22 and 23 on piston 8 coact with their respective detents 26 and 29. For example, at the particular instant in the operating cycle shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 5 the pivotal arms 21b and 20a on piston 7 are respectively in engagement with the detents 27 on annular wall member 3 while the pivotal arms 21a and 20b on piston 7 are maintained out of engagement with the longitudinally spaced detents 28 on annular wall member 2. Furthermore, just as the pivotal dogs on the lead pistons are pivoted by the force of compressed gas on the trailing end of the respective pistons and by the tension force of biasing springs 46, each of the pivotal dogs on the follower pistons are pivoted 47 may be employed to bias the respective dogs desired manner.

and in the members 2 and 3 at between the annular points further from the interstices between these wall members. In addition to these particular characteristics, every piston in the cylinder 1 may be provided with two pairs of diametrically opposed roller bearings 48 (FIG. that serve to reduce the friction between the pistons and the wall members 2 and 3. Such an anti-friction arrangement is desirable because the pivotal dogs on each piston engage the relatively movable members 2 and 3 in a manner such that a force of rotation is applied to the pistons thus tending to in crease the friction between the pistons and the wall members 2 and 3 at given times. In addition to the anti-friction roller bearings 48, it may be desirable in a given application of the invention to provide similar roller bearings on each of the pistons to reduce the adverse effects of friction between the pistons and .the lateral side walls of the cylinder 1 due to the centrifugal force of the pistons being thrown against the outer extremities of the operating chamber defined by cylinder 1 during the operation of the engine. However, no such anti-friction means have been specifically shown in the drawings, as they are not deemed necessary to the proper functioning of the invention. Of course, piston rings or other suitable means will be employed to reduce the how of gas between the respective pistons and the inner walls of cylinder 1 in a conventional manner that need not be described in detail.

The operation of the particular embodiment of the instant invention described above will now be discussed in detail, with reference to FIGS. 6, 7, and 8, which are schematic top plan views showing the arrangement of the longitudinally disposed pistons 7 through 14 at given phases in the engines operating cycle. To expedite a description of the operation of the invention, each of the pistons 7 through 14 shown in FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 is depicted as having only one pivotal dog thereon. It will be appreciated that the engine will function in the same manner with one dog on each piston as it does with two dogs on each piston except for variations in torque and friction applied to each piston by the two arrangements. Each lead piston 8, 10, a single dog 22 pivotally mounted thereon while each follower piston 7, 9, 11, and 13 has a single pivotal dog 20 mounted thereon. In the FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 all of the locking detents 27 and 29 shown on the innermost diameter of cylinder 1 will be on the annular wall member 3 whereas all of the detents 26 and 28 shown on the outer diameter of cylinder 1 are on the annular wall member 2, which is fixed in relation to the frame 4 (FIG. 1). FIG. 6 shows the pistons 7 through 14 in the same relative positions in which they are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In the operating cycle of the engine this position of the pistons occurs just prior to the ignition of a combustible material that has been compressed between coacting pistons 7 and 8, and pistons .11 and 12. The internal combustion engine of the invention is similar to conventional internal engines in that it must be initially started by some extraneous prime mover (not shown) coupled thereto.

By means of such a suitable prime mover it will be assumed that the annular wall member 3 has been started to rotate in relation to annular member 2 in a clock-wise direction, as shown in FIGS. 6, 7, and 8. Now, assuming a starting piston arrangement, as shown in FIG. 6, a combustible material, such as gasoline vapor will have been compressed between pistons 7 and 8 and pistons 11 and 12 and at this given instant of time in the operating cycle the dog 22 on piston 8 is locked in the detent 26 and pre- 12, and 14 is depicted as having vented from moving relative to annular wall member 2.

12, and 13 are locked by their respective pivotal locking dogs to member 2. Simultaneously, the dogs on pistons 7, 10, 11, and 14 are locked in engagement with the respective detents on member 3, and, thus, are being rotated around cylinder 1. Now, still referring to FIG. 6, since a predetermined compression has occurred between pistons 7 and 8 and pistons 11 and 12, the force of the compressed gas tends to force pistons 7 and 8 and pistons 11 and 12 apart. This forcing action of the compressed gas serves to arrest the forward movement of pistons 7 and 11, but does not stop the annular wall member 3 from rotating with relation to the annular Also, the pistons 9,

wall member 2; therefore, the locking detents 27 serve to cam the pivotal locking dogs 20 away from the annular member 3 and into engagement with the locking detents 28 on annular wall member 2. It is therefore seen that pistons 7 and 1 1 are prevented from moving in a counterclockwise direction. At the same instant of time, the force of the compressed gas tends to move the pistons 8 and 12 in a clockwise direction around cylinder 1 and thus causes the locking detents 26- on annular wall member 2 to cam the dogs 22 out of engagement with annular wall member 2 into engagement with detents 29 on annular wall member 3. Following this simultaneous camming action, the spark plugs 18 disposed respectively between pistons 7 and 8 and pistons 11 and 12 are energized by the aforementioned distributor mechanism (not shown) to ignite the combustible material compressed between these respective pairs of coacting pistons. The compressed gas then explodes and as it continues to expand the pistons 8 and 12 are driven in a clockwise direction and, due to their locking engagement with annular wall member 3, cause wall member 3 to rotate clockwise with relation to the annular member 2.

During the same interval of time that the pistons 8 and 12 are being released from looking engagement with the annular member 2 into driving engagement with the annular member 3, the pivotal dogs on pistons 9 and 13 are moved out of engagement with the locking detents 28 on annular wall member 2 and into locking engagement with the detents 27 on annular member 3 by the biasing action of the springs 47 (also seen in FIG. 3). Thus, as the annular member 3 continues to rotate, pistons 9 and 113 are now rotated in a clockwise direction due to their locking engagement therewith. Also, during this same interval of time the pivotal dogs on pistons 10 and 14 are moved out of locking engagement with the detents 29 on annular wall member 3 and into locking engagement with the detents 26 on annular wall member 2 by the no tion of the biasing springs 46 (also seen in FIG. 3). Therefore, as member 3 continues to rotate, the pistons 10 and 14 are now locked in position on annular wall member 2. The member 3 continues to rotate clockwise due to its inherent moment of inertia. Of course, if it is found in certain applications of the invention to be desirable, a suitable fly wheel or similar device may be coupled to the annular member 3 to facilitate such rotation between the application of pulses of driving power thereto by the action of the pistons intermittently locked thereto.

The next phase in the operating cycle is seen in FIG. 7 in which pistons 7, 10, 11, and 14- are still locked to the relatively stationary wall member 2 and the pistons 8, 9, 12, and 13 are still locked to the relatively moveable wall member 3. It will be noted that when pistons 8 and 12 were rotated from their positions, as shown in FIG. 6, to their respective positions, as shown in FIG. 7, they do not serve to force expended combustible material through exhaust ports or apertures 32 while the respective forward ends of these pistons were moving toward the exhaust apertures 32, and as the pistons 9 and 13 move past the exhaust apertures 32 and the intake apertures 30 they do not serve to draw a. partial vacuum in the cylinder 1 behind their respective trailing surfaces because pistons 9 and 13 move respectively with pistons 8 and 12, thus preventing any compressing force from being applied to the gas therebetween.

During the same phase of the operating cycle it will be seen that as pistons 9 and 13 were rotated clockwise with respect to annular wall member 2 by their locking engagement with annular wall member 3, they served to force expended combustible material from the cylinder 1 through the respective exhaust ports 32 located respectively between pistons 9 and 10 and pistons 13 and 14 until pistons 9 and 13 passed the exhaust ports 32, then the combustible material already drawn into the cylinder by the prior movement of pistons 10* and 14 is compressed between the leading ends of pistons 9 and 13 and the trailing ends of pistons and 14 respectively. Now, the respective dogs on coacting pistons 9 and 10 and pistons 13 and 14 undergo the same pivotal action caused by the compressed gases as pistons 7 and 8, and pistons 11 and 12 did earlier in the operating cycle. The forward movement of pistons 9 and 13 is arrested and thus causes the locking detents on annular member 3 to cam the pivotal dogs disposed upon pistons 9 and 13' out of engagement with the detents on annular member 3 and into locking engagement with the detents 28 on annular member 2, while simultaneously the pivotal dogs on pistons 10 and 14 are cammed out of engagement with the detents 26 on annular member 2 and into locking engagement with the detents 29 on annular wall member 3 by the force of the compressed gas. Spark plugs 18 disposed between pistons 9 and 10 and pistons 13 and 14 are then energized to ignite the combustible material. As the combustible material explodes, it expands and forces the pistons 10 and 14 to impart a further rotary motion to the annular wall member 3 due to their locking engagement therewith. Simultaneously, the biasing springs 47 on pistons 7 and 11 serve to move the pivotal dogs 20 on these pistons out of engagement with the locking detents 28 on annular wall member 2 and into engagement with the locking detents 27 on member 3, so that these pistons, 7 and 11, are rotated in a clockwise direction as the annular member 3 continues to rotate. Also, the biasing springs 46 on pistons 8 and 12 bias the pivotal dogs 22 respectively on each piston out of locking engagement with the detents 29 on annular member 3 and into locking engagement with the detents 26 on annular member 2 so that as the annular member 3 continues to rotate the pistons 8 and 12 remain fixed in relation to annular member 2 due to their locking engagement therewith. It can be seen that two separate pulses of power have thus far been applied to the annular member 3 to keep it rotating in :a clockwise direction in relation to annular wall member 2.

Referring particularly to FIG. 8 a third phase of the operating cycle will be described. In the phase of the operating cycle depicted in FIG. 8 it will be seen that the pistons 7 and 8 and pistons 11 and 12 are once more in juxtaposition, as they were in the phase shown in FIG. 6, while the remaining pistons are once again spaced in the same relation to their respective coacting pistons that they had in the phase depicted in FIG. 6. Once again, all of the pistons undergo the same sequence of operations with respect to the locking detents and pivotal dogs that they underwent when in the respective positions depicted in FIG. 6; therefore, these individual operations will not be described in detail again. Suflice it to say that one operating cycle has been completed when the respective pistons have moved from the positions shown in FIG. 6 to the positions shown in FIG. 8. It will be noted that in such an operating cycle each piston has only been rotated one sixth of the distance around the cylinder 1. It is thus apparent that twelve separate pulses of power will be applied to maintain the annular wall member 3 rotating in a clockwise direction in relation to annular member 2 every time a given piston completes a three hundred and sixty degree circuit around the cylinder 1, so it should be apparent that the power output of the engine in relation to engine wear due to friction of the pistons is in a very desirable relation compared with conventional four cycle reciprocating types of internal combustion engines, wherein each power stroke of every piston requires a crankshaft to make two complete revolutions of three hundred and sixty degrees.

From the foregoing description, the operation of the internal combustion engine designed in accordance with the teachings of the instant invention should be completely clear. Now, a modification of the preferred embodiment of the internal combustion engine described above and referred to in the figures heretofore discussed, will be explained with particular reference to FIG. 9. The purpose of this modification is to afford an internal combustion engine that operates on the diesel principle, that is, a compressed gas, such as air, is utilized to ignite a combustible material, such as diesel oil, rather than relying on a spark plug to afford such ignition. The structure of the engine shown in FIG. 9 is identical to the structure of the engine shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 with the exception that the spark plugs 18 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are replaced by fuel injectors 4-9, which may be of any suitable conventional design, and that are operative to force atomized diesel fuel or other suitable combustible material between predetermined pairs of pistons at preselected times when a given spacing is attained between these pistons. For example, the fuel injector 49 is operative in the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 to force atomized fuel from a suitable supply (not shown) into cylinder 1 between pistons 11 and 12 at the time during the operating cycle when the spark plugs 18 were energized in the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 above. Also, as in the operation of the preferred embodiment of the invention, air will be compressed between pistons 11 and 12 and will thus be raised to a sufficiently high temperature to ignite the atomized diesel fuel causing it to expand and force pistons 11 and 12 apart, so that they function in exactly the same manner as pistons 11 and 12 did in the preferred embodiment of the invention, as it was discussed with reference to FIG. 6. Of course, a suitable synchronizing system of any convention-a1 design will be employed to actuate the injectors 49 and since spark plugs 18 have been eliminated, the distributor arrangement is also dispensed with. Since this modification of the invention functions in a manner almost identical to the preferred embodiment of the invention, no further description of the operation is necessary to an understanding of it, so such a discussion will not be given.

A further very important aspect of the invention is that it may be utilized as a compressor or pump by slightly modifying the preferred embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 above. With particular reference to FIG. 10, it will be seen that a schematic diagram is there given of a section of a compressor that is structurally identical to the engine depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 with the exception that the spark plugs 18 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the distributor arrangement are removed to form an exhaust aperture or port 50, which is coupled in any conventional manner to suitable storage means (not shown) for a compressed material, such as air, or to apparatus for draining away a pumped fluid. Further, the usual exhaust ports 32 are sealed by any suitable sealing means (not shown) so that fluid cannot pass therethrough. To operate this modification of the invention as a pump or compressor, it is only necessary to provide a prime mover (not shown) suitably coupled by any conventional means to the annular wall member 3 to drive the member 3 in a clockwise direction, in a manner similar to that described with reference to FIG. 6 above, to start the engine; therefore, the pistons will be moved around the cylinder 1 in a clockwise direction due to the interaction of the locking detents and the pivotal dogs in almost exactly the same manner as described with reference to FIGS. 6, 7, and 8. This modification of the invention also operates almost identically to the operation of the preferred embodiment of the invention described with reference to FIGS. 6, 7, and 8, with the exception that a combustible material is not needed to drive member 3; therefore, the operation of this embodiment will not be described in great detail as such a description is not necessary to its comprehension. It will be apparent that the efficiency of a pump or compressor constructed in accordance with the invention may be greatly improved by forming the intake apertures 30 closer to the leading ends of pistons 7 and 9 when they are in the relative positions they occupy when locked to the member 2. Also, rather than simply blocking the exhaust ports 32, they can be completely eliminated when a pump or compressor is constructedin accordance with the invention. To briefly explain the operation of the invention as a pump, reference is made to FIG. 10. It will be understood that the pressure of fluid being compressed between pistons 7 and '8 will effect a camming action on the dogs or bell cranks of pistons 7 and 8 to cause piston 8 to be locked to and driven forward by member 3 and thus cause fluid to be sucked into the operating chamber behind piston 8 through inlet port 30 (in a manner similar to the introduction of vapor to the operating chamber when piston -8 was moved past port 30 from the position shown in FIG. 6 to the position shown in FIG. 7, above). Here it is apparent that the closer port 30 is to port 50 the greater the efficiency of the pump will be so if the invention is constructed solely for a pumping application such optimum. spacing of the ports should be employed. Piston 8 is then locked to member 2 in a position ahead of exhaust port 50 due to the pivotal action of the dogs effected by the biasing springs acting thereon, as explained above in connection with the operating cycle of the invention as an engine. The pistons would then have the same relative position they had when the operation of the internal combustion engine was discussed with reference to FIG. 7. Now, rather than having a second pulse of power applied to member 3 by exploding a gas between pistons 9 and 10, continued rotation of member 3 is afforded by the prime mover coupled thereto. This movement of member 3 causes piston 7 to be locked to member 3 by the action of the dog-biasing spring thereon and, thus, causes piston 7 to be moved toward piston 8 effecting a compression of the fluid in the operating chamber between pistons 7 and 8. This force of compression drives the fluid through exhaust port 50 and places the pistons in a position corresponding to that shown in FIG. 8, discussed above, so the compression or pumping cycle can start over again.

While a particular preferred embodiment of the invention and several basic modifications thereof have been shown and described above, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various further modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention in its broader aspects. It is, therefore, intended in the following appended claims to encompass all such modifications as fall into the scope of the invention.

What is claimed and what it is wished to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A rotary engine comprising a first casing member formed to define an annular depression of uniform cross section, a second casing member formed to define an annular depression of uniform cross section, means supporting said first casing member in juxtaposition with said second casing member to form an annular cylinder with the annular depressions of said casing members, said supporting means being effective to afford relative rotation between said first and said casing members, means affording a gas-tight seal between said first and second casing members, a plurality of pairs of longitudinally arcuate pistons disposed at spaced intervals within said cylinder, each of said pistons having a lea-ding and a trailing surface, an elongated dog pivotally mounted on each of said pistons, each of said dogs being pivotal to engage respectively the opposite ends thereof with the first and second casing members, locking means positioned on the first and second casing members and engageable with said dogs, said locking means being effective to prevent relative movement between a casing member upon which the locking means is positioned and any given dog said locking means is temporarily in engagement with at any given time, means for moving each of said dogs alternately into engagement with the locking means on the first and second casing members whereby said pistons alternately rotate with the respective wall members or are movable in relation thereto, said means for moving each of said dogs being responsive to a compressive force between adjacent pistons to lock said pistons to [the first wall member when a predetermined compressive force is exerted on the lead surface of the pistons while also locking said pistons to the second wall member responsive to a predetermined compressive force exerted on the trailing surfaces of said pistons, means for introducing a combustible material into said cylinder between given pairs of pistons that are locked respectively to the first and second casing members, ignition means adapted to ignite said combustible material when a predetermined spacing is achieved between said given pistons, thereby causing expansion of the combustible material to force said given pistons apart and cause the second casing member to rotate relative to the first casing member due to the respective pistons being locked in engagement therewith, and means for exhausting material from said cylinder.

2. A rotary engine as defined in claim 1 including means for biasing the pivotal dogs on alternate pistons into engagement with the first casing member and the locking means thereon, and means biasing the dogs on the remaining pistons into engagement with the second casing member and the locking means thereon.

3. A rotary engine as defined in claim 1 wherein the means for introducing a combustible material into said cylinder comprises a plurality of fuel injectors mounted at predetermined longitudinally spaced points on said first casing member and adapted to force fuel into said cylinder between said given pistons when a predetermined spacing is attained therebetween.

4. A rotary engine as defined in claim 1 wherein the locking means on the first and second casing members respond to the force of compressed material between given pistons to move the dogs on each of said given pistons from looking engagement with one of said casing members into locking engagement with the other of said casing members.

5. A rotary engine as defined in claim 1 wherein the means for introducing a combustible material into said cylinder comprises means defining a plurality of intake apertures positioned at longitudinally spaced points on said first casing member, said means for introducing a combustible material to said cylinder being effective when the engine is operated to force said material through said apertures which are intermittently disposed between given pistons that are in turn locked respectively to the first and second casing members, and wherein said means for exhausting material comprises a plurality of exhaust apertures positioned at longitudinally spaced points on said first casing member.

6. A rotary engine as defined in claim 1 wherein said plurality of pistons comprises an even number of pistons adapted to operate in pairs consisting respectively of lead pistons and follower pistons, each of said lead pistons having a raised annular portion around the periphery of their trailing ends, and each of said follower pistons having a forward end of reduced diameter adapted to fit concentrically within the raised annular portion of its respective lead piston, whereby a plurality of fluid-tight combustion chambers are afforded between the respective trailing ends of said lead pistons and the forward ends of said follower pistons when each piston of said pairs of pistons are moved into juxtaposition within said cylinder.

7. A rotary engine as defined in claim 6 wherein combustible material is introduced simultaneously between the respective pistons of given alternate pairs of pistons, and wherein the locking means on the first and second casing members is responsive to the force of expanding combustible material to move the dogs on each of said respective pistons of said alternate pairs of pistons from locking engagement with one of said casing members into locking engagement with the other of said casing members while simultaneously moving the dogs on the remaining pistons from engagement with said other casing member into engagement with said one casing member.

8. A rotary engine comprising a first casing member formed to define an annular depression of uniform cross section, a second casing member formed to define an annular depression of uniform cross section, means supporting said first casing member in juxtaposition with said second casing member thereby to form an annular operating chamber with the annular depressions of said casing members, said supporting means affording relative rotation between said first and second casing members, means affording a gas-tight seal between said first and second casing members, a plurality of pairs of longitudinally arcuate pistons disposed at predetermined spaced intervals within said cylinder and consisting of a lead and follower piston respectively, a first and a second dog pivotally mounted respectively to each lead and follower piston, a first coplanar set and a second coplanar set of detents disposed respectively in longitudinally spaced pairs on both lateral surfaces of the first casing member, a first coplanar set and a second coplanar set of detents disposed in longtiudinally spaced pairs on both lateral surfaces of the second casing member, each detent of both said pairs of first set of detents being adapted to engage respectively opposite ends simultaneously of the first and second dogs on each lead piston, each detent of said pairs of second sets of detents being adapted to engage respectively opposite ends simultaneously of the first and second dogs on each follower piston, means biasing the first and second dogs on each lead piston toward the first casing member, means biasing the first and second dogs on each follower piston toward the second casing member, means for introducing a combustible material into said cylinder between the lead and follower pistons of each pair of pistons, means for exhausting material from said cylinder, ignition means adapted to ignite such a combustble material when a predetermined spacing is attained between given lead and follower pistons, said longitudinally spaced pairs of detents on both the first and second casing members being disposed in relation to each other and the pivotal dogs on each piston so that given pistons are locked to said first casing member while other pistons are locked to the second casing member when a combustible material is ignited by the ignition means, whereby expansion of the ignited combustible material causes the second casing member to rotate relative to the first casing member thereby causing said pistons alternately to rotate with the second casing member when locked thereto or remain stationary when locked to the first casing member, whereby said pistons alternately rotate with the respective casing members or are movable in relation thereto, said means for moving each of said dogs being responsive to a compressive force between adjacent pistons to lock said pistons to the first casing member when a predetermined compressive force is exerted on the lead surfaces of the pistons while also locking said pistons to the second wall member responsive to a predetermined compressive force exerted on the trailing surfaces of said pistons, the rotation of said second casing member thus being effective to move some of the detents thereon into engagement with the dogs on given pistons thus moving said pistons along said cylinder to exhaust expended combustible material from the cylinder and draw more combustible material into the cylinder while also coacting with the other pistons that are locked to the first casing member to compress combustible material within the cylinder, whereby an intermittent driving force is transmitted from said pisons to the second casing member by the force exerted on the pistons locked thereto by the ignition of said combustible material in the operating chamber.

9. A pump or compressor comprising casing means defining an annular cylinder, said casing means comprising first and second relatively rotatable annular wall members, means affording a gas-tight seal between said first and second wall members, a plurality of pistons disposed at predetermined spaced intervals within said annular cylinder, means for selectively locking each of said pistons alternately to said first and second wall members whereby given pistons are locked to the first wall member when the remaining pistons are locked to the second wall member, means for rotating said second wall member relative to said first wall member, means for intro ducing a fiuid between said given pairs of pistons, means for exhausting said fiuid from between said given pairs of pistons, said locking means being effective to vary the spacing between said given pairs of pistons when the first and second casing members are rotated relative to one another thereby to compress said fluid therebetween and force it from the cylinder under pressure through said exhaust means, said locking means being responsive to a compressive force between adjacent pistons to lock half of said pistons to the first wall member when a predetermined compressive force is exerted on the lead surfaces of the pistons while locking the remaining pistons to the second wall member responsive to a predetermined compressive force exerted on the trailing surfaces of said pistons, whereby said pistons alternately rotate with the respective wall members or are movable in relation thereto.

10. A rotary piston-type combustion engine comprising casing means defining an annular operating chamber, said casing means comprising first and second relatively movable annular wall members, said first wall member being fixed in a stationary position and said second wall member being rotatable in relation to said first wall member, means for supporting said second wall member in juxtaposition to said first wall member, means affording a fluid-tight seal between said first and second wall members, a predetermined number of pairs of intake ports and exhaust ports, said pairs of intake and exhaust ports being longitudinally spaced at equidistant points around the circumference of said first wall member and affording communicaion with the interior of the operating chamber, a plurality of ignition devices longitudinally spaced at equidistant points around the circumference of said operating chamber and in communication with the interior thereof, means for selectively introducing a combustible fuel through said inlet ports to the operating chamber, a plurality of pairs of pistons each comprising lead and follower pistons which are diametrically disposed within said operating chamber, locking means for selectively locking alternate pairs of said pistons to the first wall member thereby maintaining said pistons stationary while locking the remaining pistons to the second wall member for rotation therewith, said locking means being operable when a predetermined degree of angular displacement of the second wall member occurs in relation to the first wall member to release the alternate pairs of pistons locked to the first wall member and lock said pistons to the second wall member while releasing the remaining pairs of pistons from said second wall member and locking said remaining pistons to the first wall member, said locking means being further operable when continued rotation of the second wall member occurs to repeat said locking and releasing function on the alternate pairs of pistons each time said second wall member moves successively through said predetermined degree of angular displacement whereby the spacing between said alternate pairs of pistons is repeatedly increased and diminished as the second wall member rotates thus alternately rotating the respective pairs of pistons successively locked to it therewith, the ignition devices and fuel intake and exhaust ports being operable in cooperation with said respective pairs of pistons to cause the efficient ignition of a combustible fuel between alternate pairs of said pistons each time the spacing between said alternate pairs of pistons is near a minimum thereby to impart successive pulses of driving power to the second wall member through the pistons locked alternately thereto whereby rotation of said second wall member is sustained.

11. An engine as defined in claim 10 wherein the plu- 17 rality of pairs of pistons comprises two pairs of pistons and each of said pairs of pistons comprises one lead and one follower piston.

12. A rotary engine comprising a casing means defining an annular operating chamber, said casing means comprising first and second relatively movable annular wall members, the first wall member being fixed in a stationary position and the second wall member being rotatable in relation to said first wall member, means for supporting said first and second wall members in juxtaposition to each other with said second wall member rotatable in relation to said first wall member, means affording a fluid-tight seal between said first and second wall members, a predetermined number of pairs of intake and exhaust ports, said pairs of intake and exhaust ports being longitudinally spaced at equidistant points around the circumference of said first wall member and in communication with the interior of the operating chamber, means for selectively introducing a fluid through said inlet ports to the operating chamber and for removing a fluid from said operating chamber through the exhaust ports, a plurality of pairs of pistons each comprising lead and follower pistons which are diametrically disposed within said operating chamber, locking means for selectively locking alternate pairs of said pistons to the first wall member thereby maintaining said pistons stationary while looking the remaining pistons to the second wall member for rotation therewith, said locking means being operable when a predetermined degree of angular displacement of the second wall member occurs in relation to the first wall member to release the alternate pairs of pistons locked to the first wall member and lock said pistons to the second wall member while releasing the remaining pairs of pistons from said second wall member and locking said remaining pistons to the first wall member, said locking means being further operable when continued rotation of the second wall member occurs to repeat said locking and releasing function on the alternate pairs of pistons each time said second wall member moves successively through said predetermined degree of angular displacement whereby the spacing between said alternate pairs of pistons is repeatedly varied as the second wall member rotates in relation to the first wall member, the intake and exhaust ports being operable in cooperation with the pairs of pistons to draw a fluid into the operating chamber between respective lead and follower pistons that are moving away from each other while simultaneously forcing a fluid from those areas of said operating chamber disposed between respective lead and follower pistons that are moving toward each other, whereby fluid is pumped through said engine as the second wall member rotates in relation to the first wall member.

13. A rotary device of the class described, comprising casing means defining an annular operating cylinder, said casing means including first and second annular wall members movable in relation to one another; inlet means positioned at predetermined circumferentially spaced apart points on one of said wall members for introducing a fluid into said cylinder; exhaust means positioned at predetermined circumferentially spaced apart points on one of said wall members for exhausting a fluid from said cylinder; a plurality of pairs of pistons disposed within said cylinder, each pair of pistons including a lead piston and a follower piston which form a chamber therebetween; first releasable locking means carried by each of said lead pistons and selectively engageable with each of said wall members for alternately locking said lead pistons to said first wall member in response to compression forces in said chambers and locking said lead pistons to said second wall member in the absence of compression forces in said chambers; and second releasable locking means carried by each of said follower pistons and selectively engageable with each of said wall members for alternately locking said follower pistons to said second wall member in response to compression forces in said chambers and locking said follower pistons to said first wall member in the absence of compression forces in said chambers, whereby continuous relative movement of said wall members causes the volume of each of said chambers to be alternately expanded and contracted by the relative movement of adjacent pistons.

14. A rotary device of the class described, comprising casing means defining an annular operating cylinder, said casing means including first and second annular wall members rotatable in relation to one another; inlet means positioned at predetermined circumferentially spaced apart points on one of said walls members for introducing a fiuid into said cylinder; exhaust means positioned at predetermined circumferentially spaced apart points on one of said wall members for exhausting fluid from said cylinder; a plurality of pairs of pistons disposed at predetermined spaced intervals within said cylinder, each pair of pistons including a lead piston and a follower piston which form a chamber therebetween; first releasable locking means carried by each of said lead pistons and selectively engageable with each of said wall members, said first releasable locking means being constructed and arranged to alternately lock said lead pistons to said first wall member while releasing said pistons from the second wall member in the presence of compression forces in said chambers and to lock said lead pistons to said second wall member while releasing said pistons from the first wall member in the absence of compression forces in said chambers; and second releasable locking means carried by each of said follower pistons and selectively engageable with each of said wall members, said second releasable locking means being constructed and arranged to alternately lock said follower pistons to said second wall member while releasing said pistons from the first wall member in the presence of compression forces in said chambers and lock said follower pistons to said first wall member while releasing said pistons from the second wall member in the absence of compression forces in said chambers, the alternate locking of said lead and follower pistons to said first and second wall members causing said chambers to alternately expand and contract during relative rotation of said wall members due to the relative movement of adjacent pistons in the operating cylinder.

15. A rotary engine comprising casing means defining an annular operating cylinder, said casing means including first and second annular wall members rotatable in relation to one another; a plurality of pairs of pistons disposed within said cylinder, each pair of pistons including a lead piston and a follower piston which form a chamber therebetween; first releasable locking means carried by each of said lead pistons and selectively engageable with each of said wall members for alternately locking said lead pistons to said first wall member in the presence of compression forces in said chambers and locking said lead pistons to said second wall member in the absence of compression forces in said chambers; second releasable locking means carried by each of said follower pistons and selectively engageable with each of said wall members for alternately locking said follower pistons to said second wall member in the presence of compression forces in said chambers and locking said follower pistons to said first wall member in the absence of compression forces in said chambers, the alternate locking of said lead and follower pistons to said first and second wall members causing said chambers to alternately expand and contract during relative rotation of said wall members; means for introducing a combustible material into the chambers in said cylinder; and means for igniting said combustible material to cause it to expand and force said lead and follower pistons apart, thereby imparting relative rotation to the first and 19 second wall members to which said pistons are respec tively locked.

16. A rotary engine comprising casing means defining an annular operating cylinder, said casing means including first and second annular wall members rotatable in relation to one another; a plurality of pairs of pistons disposed within said cylinder, each pair of pistons including a lead piston and a follower piston which form a chamber therebetween; first releasable locking means carried by each of said lead pistons and selectively engageable with each of said wall members for alternately locking said lead pistons to said first wall member in the presence of compression forces in said chambers and locking said lead pistons to said second wall member in the absence of compression forces in said chambers; second releasable locking means carried by each of said follower pistons and selectively engageable with each of said wall members for alternately locking said follower pistons to said second wall member in the presence of compression forces in said chambers and locking said follower pistons to said first wall member in the absence of compression forces in said chambers; the alternate locking of said lead and follower pistons to said first and second wall members causing said chambers to alternately expand and contract during relative rotation of said wall members; means for introducing a combustion supporting material into the chambers in said cylinder to thereby compress said material and raise the temperature therein; and means for introducing a fuel into said compressed heated material, causing the fuel to ignite, expand and force said lead and follower pistons apart, thereby imparting relative motion to the first and second wall members to which the pistons are respectively locked.

17. A rotary engine comprising casing means defining an annular operating cylinder, said casing means including an annular stationary wall member and an annular rotatable Wall member; a plurality of pairs of pistons disposed at predetermined spaced intervals within said cylinder, each pair of pistons including a lead piston and a follower piston which form a chamber therebetween; first releasable locking means carried by each of said lead pistons and selectively engageable with each of said wall members, said first releasable locking means being constructed and arranged to alternately lock said lead pistons to said rotatable wall member in response to the presence of compression forces in said chambers and lock said lead pistons to said stationary wall member in response to the absence of compression forces in said chambers; second releasable locking means carried by each of said follower pistons and selectively engageable with each of said wall members, said second releasable locking means being constructed and arranged to alternately lock said follower pistons to said stationary wall member in response to the presence of compression forces in said chambers and lock said follower pistons to said rotatable wall member in response to the absence of compression forces in said chambers, the alternate locking of said lead and follower pistons to said rotatable and stationary wall members causing said chambers to alternately expand and contract during rotation of said rotatable wall member; means carried by said stationary wall member for introducing a combustible material into said chambers prior to contraction thereof so that upon contraction said material is compressed; means carried by said stationary wall member for igniting said combustible material upon compression thereof; and means carried by said stationary wall member for exhausting said material from said chambers after expansion of said chambers.

18. A rotary device of the class described, comprising a toroidal cylinder including first and second annular wall members, one of which rotates continuously relative to the other during operation of the device; a series of longitudinally arcuate pistons positioned within said cylinder, each of said pistons having at least one end face disposed in opposition to the end face of an adjacent piston to form a chamber therebetween, there being a lead piston and a follower piston for each of the chambers so formed; a first series of coplanar detents positioned at circumferentially spaced apart points on one of said wall members; a second series of coplanar detents positioned at circumferentially spaced apart points on the other of said wall members; first bell crank means pivotally carried by each of said lead pistons and having a first end portion engageable with said first series of detents and a second end portion engageable with said second series of detents; first resilient means carried by said lead piston for biasing said first end portion toward engagement with said first series of detents in the absence of compression forces in said chamber, said second end portion being biased toward said second series of detents when compression forces are present in said chamber; a third series of coplanar detents positioned at circumferentially spaced apart points on said one of said wall members; a fourth series of coplanar detents positioned at circumferentially spaced apart points on said other of said wall members; second bell crank means pivotally carried by each of said follower pistons and having a third end portion engageable with said third series of detents and a fourth end portion engageable with said fourth series of detents; second resilient means carried by said follower piston for biasing said fourth end portion toward engagement with said fourth series of detents in the absence of compression forces in said chamber, said third end portion being biased toward said third series of detents when compression forces are present in said chamber, whereby the continuously rotating wall member alternately drives the lead pistons and the follower pistons to periodically expand and contract the volume enclosed by the chambers; inlet means carried at circumferentially spaced apart positions by one of said wall members for introducing a fluid into said chambers; and outlet means carried at circumferentially spaced apart positions by one of said wall members for exhausting the fiuid from said chambers.

19. A rotary engine comprising casing means defining an annular operating cylinder, said casing means including first and second relatively rotatable annular wall members; a series of longitudinally spaced apart, coplanar detents carried by each of said wall members; a plurality of longitudinally arcuate pistons disposed at predetermined spaced points within said annular cylinder; a bell crank pivotally supported within each piston and having first and second end portions, each of which is selectively capable of extending beyond its side of the piston to engage the detents of one of said wall members while the other remains out of engagement with said wall members; means carried by each of said pistons for biasing one of said end portions toward engagement with a detent on one of said wall members in the absence of compressive forces acting on said piston, the other of said end portions being biased toward engagement with a detent on the other of said wall members when compressive forces act against said piston, said bell cranks and end portions being effective to lock their associated pistons to one or the other of said wall members; means for introducing a combustible material into said cylinder between predetermined pistons that are locked respectively to said first and said second wall members; means for igniting said combustible material, thereby causing it to expand and force said predetermined pistons apart, thus, imparting relative rotation to the first and second wall members to which the pistons are respectively locked; and means for exhausting said material from between said predetermined pistons while said pistons are moving apart.

20. A rotary engine as defined in claim 19 wherein antifriction means are mounted on the ends of each of the end portions of said bell cranks to reduce friction between said end portions and the wall members which they are adapted to engage.

21. A rotary engine as defined in claim 20 wherein sec- 0nd anti-friction means are mounted on opposite sides of each arcuate piston at points thereon spaced approximately ninety angular degrees on the circumference of said pistons from the respective ends of said elongated dogs, whereby friction between the wall members and said pistons due to relative movement of said pistons with respect to said wail members is obviated.

Marsh July 16, 1907 Kuhn July 23, 1918 22 Noble Feb. 3, English Aug. 3, Jones Mar. 17, Tschudi Feb. 14,

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Nov. 17, Great Britain Sept. 8, France Apr. 30, Great Britain May 1, Great Britain Feb. 19, France Dec. 12, 

1. A ROTARY ENGINE COMPRISING A FIRST CASING MEMBER FORMED TO DEFINE AN ANNULAR DEPRESSION OF UNIFORM CROSS SECTION, A SECOND CASING MEMBER FORMED TO DEFINE AN ANNULAR DEPRESSION OF UNIFORM CROSS SECTION, MEANS SUPPORTING SAID FIRST CASING MEMBER IN JUXTAPOSITION WITH SAID SECOND CASING MEMBER TO FORM AN ANNULAR CYLINDER WITH THE ANNULAR DEPRESSIONS OF SAID CASING MEMBERS, SAID SUPPORTING MEANS BEING EFFECTIVE TO AFFORD RELATIVE ROTATION BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SAID CASING MEMBERS, MEANS AFFORDING A GAS-TIGHT SEAL BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND CASING MEMBERS, A PLURALITY OF PAIRS OF LONGITUDINALLY ARCUATE PISTONS DISPOSED AT SPACED INTERVALS WITHIN SAID CYLINDER, EACH OF SAID PISTONS HAVING A LEADING AND A TRAILING SURFACE, AN ELONGATED DOG PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON EACH OF SAID PISTONS, EACH OF SAID DOGS BEING PIVOTAL TO ENGAGE RESPECTIVELY THE OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF WITH THE FIRST AND SECOND CASING MEMBERS, LOCKING MEANS POSITIONED ON THE FIRST AND SECOND CASING MEMBERS AND ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID DOGS, SAID LOCKING MEANS BEING EFFECTIVE TO PREVENT RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN A CASING MEMBER UPON WHICH THE LOCKING MEANS IS POSITIONED AND ANY GIVEN DOG SAID LOCKING MEANS IS TEMPORARILY IN ENGAGEMENT WITH AT ANY GIVEN TIME, MEANS FOR MOVING EACH OF SAID DOGS ALTERNATELY INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE LOCKING MEANS ON THE FIRST AND SECOND CASING MEMBERS WHEREBY SAID PISTONS ALTERNATELY ROTATE WITH THE RESPECTIVE WALL MEMBERS OR ARE MOVABLE IN RELATION THERETO, SAID MEANS FOR MOVING EACH OF SAID DOGS BEING RESPONSIVE TO A COMPRESSIVE FORCE BETWEEN ADJACENT PISTONS TO LOCK SAID PISTONS TO THE FIRST WALL MEMBER WHEN A PREDETERMINED COMPRESSIVE FORCE IS EXERTED ON THE LEAD SURFACE OF THE PISTONS WHILE ALSO LOCKING SAID PISTONS TO THE SECOND WALL MEMBER RESPONSIVE TO A PREDETERMINED COMPRESSIVE FORCE EXERTED ON THE TRAILING SURFACES OF SAID PISTONS, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A COMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL INTO SAID CYLINDER BETWEEN GIVEN PAIRS OF PISTONS THAT ARE LOCKED RESPECTIVELY TO THE FIRST AND SECOND CASING MEMBERS, IGNITION MEANS ADAPTED TO IGNITE SAID COMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL WHEN A PREDETERMINED SPACING IS ACHIEVED BETWEEN SAID GIVEN PISTONS, THEREBY CAUSING EXPANSION OF THE COMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL TO FORCE SAID GIVEN PISTONS APART AND CAUSE THE SECOND CASING MEMBER TO ROTATE RELATIVE TO THE FIRST CASING MEMBER DUE TO THE RESPECTIVE PISTONS BEING LOCKED IN ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH, AND MEANS FOR EXHAUSTING MATERIAL FROM SAID CYLINDER. 